YANKEE NOTESBarry Meister pitched Denny Neagle to Brian Cashman at a Manhattan sit down late yesterday afternoon that the agent described as positive. Hours later, the client had the opportunity to apply a tourniquet to the Yankees’ bleeding and couldn’t even deliver a Band-Aid.

“It was very productive,” Meister said of the first face-to-face meeting he had with a member of the Yankees’ brass since the July 12 trade that delivered Neagle from the Reds.

“It was a pretty good exchange of ideas and we will continue the dialogue. I thought it was a terrific meeting.”

While Meister and Cashman refused to say if numbers were exchanged, it’s no secret that Neagle is looking for a $36 million deal over four years.

“No comment,” Cashman said when asked about the meat of the discussion. “Today was step 1, but I won’t comment on the specifics.”

Neagle, who gave up six runs, four hits and four walks in 51/3 innings was far from terrific again. In his last two outings, Neagle is 0-2, worked 82/3 innings and has allowed 14 earned runs for a flabby 14.54 ERA. Overall, Neagle is 7-6 as a Yankee.

The Yankees have until 15 days after the World Series to get him signed or Neagle can file for free agency. Despite long stretches of inconsistency, the Yankees say they are interested in locking up Neagle long term and haven’t blanched when the $36 million figure is brought up.

“I haven’t heard,” Neagle said of Meister’s chat with Cashman. “They were talking while I was preparing for my start. Hopefully, we can get something done.”

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Welcoming Paul O’Neill back from a painful hip pointer injury wasn’t the only change in Joe Torre’s lineup last night. Knowing his club had scored nine runs and hit .156 (24-for-154) during a five-game losing streak, Chuck Knoblauch was the DH for the first time since Aug. 2. Jose Vizcaino was at second and Luis Sojo replaced the slumping Scott Brosius (2-for-20) at third.

“He is struggling and I am trying to put a different look out there,” Torre said of Brosius.

As for using Knoblauch at DH, it had nothing to do with his elbow.

“Of the infielders, he is the best hitter,” Torre said of Knoblauch who was mired in a 2-for-23 (.087) slump but showing signs the rust he accumulated while on the DL was slowly going away. “And since I defense for him in the eighth inning, I wanted to put his bat in the lineup. Right now we need hits and I like the way he is swinging the bat.”

Knoblauch walked three times, had a single and scored three runs.

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One day after telling Tino Martinez he was the man at first, Torre didn’t back off from playing his slumping first baseman who was hitless in 24 at-bats going into last night’s action. Torre sat third baseman Brosius and didn’t use Jose Canseco or Glenallen Hill as the DH. However, Martinez was at first and hit seventh against Hideo Nomo.

Martinez extended the slump to 0-for-28 by going 0-for-4.

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Torre has no qualms about the Yankees not having the best record in the AL for the first time in three years. Even if it forces the Yankees not to have home field advantage in the playoffs.

“First we have to get there,” Torre said of the postseason. “The road has never bothered us.”